Taking PC Hardware Into China

Martini1991 · 6 Aug 2013 at 14:44

Hi there, my mate's currently got no internet (As he's cancelled while he's away)

He's going to China for a year to teach English.

Because it'll cost too much to just simply ship his PC there, he's going to take it apart and just take the parts (Bar case)

Would he have any problems with customs if his parts are in his bags (The ones on the conveyor belt)

Cheers.

It'll be a full PC, so GPU, RAM, PSU, Mobo, CPU etc.

dirtychinchilla · 6 Aug 2013 at 14:48

Tell him to build a briefcase laptop!

Diagro · 6 Aug 2013 at 14:54

Could he not just buy stuff out there? would be cheaper

ALSO! he would be able to buy one of those 32" Chinese 4k monitors for $400 on the streets!

Martini1991 · 6 Aug 2013 at 14:58

He hasn't exactly got the money to buy new parts lol.
Why'd it be cheaper? He already has his PC.

Diagro · 6 Aug 2013 at 15:00

Ah i see ok, Well make sure he wraps them up extremely well. They don't handle bags well.

get him to buy a 4k monitor and ship it too you tho

Oh better yet get him to contact me so i can have one

SheepBeast · 6 Aug 2013 at 15:15

Martini1991 said:
Hi there, my mate's currently got no internet (As he's cancelled while he's away)

He's going to China for a year to teach English.

Because it'll cost too much to just simply ship his PC there, he's going to take it apart and just take the parts (Bar case)

Would he have any problems with customs if his parts are in his bags (The ones on the conveyor belt)

Cheers.

It'll be a full PC, so GPU, RAM, PSU, Mobo, CPU etc.

Don't mean to hijack the thread but how did your friend get into that? Going to China to teach English for a year sounds awesome

Martini1991 · 6 Aug 2013 at 15:17

SheepBeast said:
Don't mean to hijack the thread but how did your friend get into that? Going to China to teach English for a year sounds awesome

Couldn't tell you.
It wasn't his idea, but rather a girl he knew, he pretty much sleepwalked into it

Sin_Chase · 6 Aug 2013 at 15:17

Why take a desktop PC for the sake of a year?

Pointless, even if China customs passed it.

All he needs is something to get online with. Why go to China for a year to doss about on a PC?

Gixer · 6 Aug 2013 at 15:20

I found genuine (fingers crossed they're genuine) PC components are either the same price or slightly more when I was out in China a few years ago. Anything made by local companies is cheap, anything imported isn't!

No idea on the OP's question though. I can't remember what you have to declare when entering China. To check it's ok to fly with the parts just call the airline he is flying with.

Martini1991 · 6 Aug 2013 at 15:21

Sin_Chase said:
Why take a desktop PC for the sake of a year?

Pointless, even if China customs passed it.

All he needs is something to get online with. Why go to China for a year to doss about on a PC?

He hasn't got a Laptop.

And he doesn't exactly want to disappear from existence for a year lol.

Judgeneo · 6 Aug 2013 at 15:22

SheepBeast said:
Don't mean to hijack the thread but how did your friend get into that? Going to China to teach English for a year sounds awesome

Its pretty easy to do from what I understand.
I looked into it a while ago, and it seems you just have to do a basic training course and then fly over - quite a lot of entry level schemes, pay looked pretty liveable too.

Sin_Chase · 6 Aug 2013 at 15:25

Martini1991 said:
He hasn't got a Laptop.

And he doesn't exactly want to disappear from existence for a year lol.

It's not like he is going to have much online freedom in China. So many cons doing what he intends to do:

Parts wont make it through Customs
Issues at Customs (In China...)
Parts damaged
Parts lost
Parts taking up space/weight allowance

Sell parts, buy laptop/tablet, even the cheapest stuff will get you online. He can build a new PC when he gets back and has money.

MissChief · 6 Aug 2013 at 16:06

Not to mention the great Chinese firewall will limit his Internet usage to Chinese sites. Which are in Chinese. No Facebook, no Skype, no twitter etc.

Martini1991 · 6 Aug 2013 at 16:08

It'd seem he hasn't entirely thought it through.
But it's the only way he's going to maintain any sort of communication.
He also wants to game a bit

But it's not my place to try and dictate what he does.

GravyMonster · 6 Aug 2013 at 16:13

He's going to get butt-laped.

Sin_Chase · 7 Aug 2013 at 06:23

Martini1991 said:
But it's the only way he's going to maintain any sort of communication.
He also wants to game a bit

No it's not. Many other solutions, which have already been posted in this thread.

What it boils down to is the last part of your post...he wants to game.

Quite frankly taking PC parts in luggage for a 1 year holiday is ludicrous.

neil_g · 7 Aug 2013 at 07:14

I'd put money on the parts not surviving the journey in the hold. Unless he's flying with a Peli case.

Sin_Chase · 7 Aug 2013 at 07:27

neil_g said:
I'd put money on the parts not surviving the journey in the hold. Unless he's flying with a Peli case.

A Peli case of that size would be worth more than his rig

oldestgregg · 7 Aug 2013 at 08:03

Diagro said:
Could he not just buy stuff out there? would be cheaper

ALSO! he would be able to buy one of those 32" Chinese 4k monitors for $400 on the streets!

Yes but it will be made by sonysoft or sumsang wont it

neil_g · 7 Aug 2013 at 08:40

Sin_Chase said:
A Peli case of that size would be worth more than his rig

for some dismantled bits? £100, £150 tops id say. depends how much he values his components.

but putting a motherboard in a suitcase is heading straight for cracked circuitboard land